Electroacupuncture ameliorates ulcerative colitis by suppressing ferroptosis via the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway

Background: As an important component of external therapies in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the specific mechanism of acupuncture in improving UC has not been fully elucidated. This study investigates the regulatory effects of acupuncture on Ferroptosis and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in colon epithelial cells of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mice, thereby providing an in-depth exploration of the potential molecular mechanisms underlying acupuncture treatment for UC.

Methods: In the first phase, using a sham electroacupuncture (SEA) group as a control, the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on Ferroptosis, intestinal mucosal barrier function, oxidative stress levels, and the inflammatory response in DSS-induced colon epithelial cells were investigated. Furthermore, the expression levels of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in colon tissue were examined. In the second phase, the ferroptosis-specific activator erastin was co-administered to further validate the critical mechanistic role of Ferroptosis inhibition in EA treatment. In the third phase, the JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490 was used to intervene in UC. A comparative analysis was conducted to assess the effect equivalence between JAK2/STAT3 pathway inhibition and EA treatment for UC, further clarifying the JAK2/STAT3 pathway as a key regulatory target of acupuncture in UC treatment.

Results: Compared to the control (Con) group, the DSS group showed significant upregulation of ferroptosis-related indicators, impaired intestinal mucosal barrier function, markedly increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response, along with upregulated expression of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Compared to the DSS group, the DSS + EA group exhibited significant improvement in colon histopathological damage, a substantial reduction in Ferroptosis levels in colon epithelial cells, and corresponding downregulation of JAK2 and STAT3 expression levels. Notably, the therapeutic effects of the DSS + EA group were superior to those of the DSS + SEA group. The ferroptosis-specific activator erastin reversed the anti-ferroptosis effects of EA and its protective effects on the colon. In addition, the effect of EA treatment in ameliorating Ferroptosis and colon injury was comparable to the intervention with the JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490.

Conclusions: EA may alleviate Ferroptosis in colonic epithelial cells by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, significantly reducing oxidative stress injury, improving intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, and inhibiting the DSS-induced inflammatory cascade in UC mice. This study provides important modern scientific evidence for the application of acupuncture therapy in treating gastrointestinal diseases.

Electroacupuncture; Ferroptosis; Inflammation; Intestinal barrier integrity; JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway; Oxidative stress; Ulcerative colitis.